#ethan has done a ton of producing on other hit albums too

[paddypubs]

one of my favorite spn extended universe facts is that jay gruska (composer of the spn soundtrack + notably americana & dean's theme) is the father of ethan gruska (producer of phoebe bridger's strangers in the alps & punisher)

[squidbob-is-canon]

Thoughts on the Spongebob Musical cast recording

Soo having seen the musical live twice, I’ve been dying for the recording for a long, long time. I’ve had to rely on a very low-quality audio recording for about a year but now that I finally have the original in my possession I can happily say that again, the Spongebob Musical remains one of my favorites and that’s from someone who is a big fan of Broadway. 

I know next to nothing about the mechanics of music but here are my two cents anyway, comparing the soundtrack to what I saw live. 

1. Prologue - So this is just a 30 second intro with the narrator and Sponge’s foghorn. What I noticed is that in the theater, certain actors sound a lot more like their characters on stage than they do in the recordings, whereas for others it’s the opposite. I thought Tom Kenny actually voiced the Narrator but in this track it’s obvious it’s a different guy. Doesn’t make it any less cool (as it helps distinguish the musical as its own), just noting.

2. Bikini Bottom Day - Ethan Slater sounds equally good on stage and in audio and I love that. I can finally hear the ukulele clearly in the beginning and it gives the song a lot more charm. Danny Skinner also pretty much sounds the same as Patrick. I am not too thrilled with some of the autotone in the soundtrack, tho. THEY DON’T NEED IT.

Also not used to Squidward’s intro not being interrupted by people in the audience bursting into laughter. Gavin Lee sounded exactly like Squid in the show but in the audio his voice is a bit higher-pitched, I suppose so he could have more better use of his vocal range. 

Sandy’s Texan accent was toned down a bit in the soundtrack. And I’m sad ‘cause Krabs and Plankton’s actors have been replaced -- at first I was iffy about their voices but I quickly grew to love them because they still captured the essence of the characters, so it’s a shame they won’t be on Broadway.

Karen sounds more robotic.

I sorta miss Spongebob saying ‘hi’ to literally everything and wish they’d included that in the song.

I’m glad they cut out the needlessly expository parts like Krabs having to address his darling whale daughter as such.

Pearl sounds more like cartoon!Pearl here than on stage!

3. No Control - I LOVE THIS SONG OKAY. I LOVE PERCH PERKINS’ DEEP DEEP VOICE. The soundtrack version is pretty much perfect. Love the techno riffs (that weren’t as audible live). I just love when SB has his big “NO CONTROOOOL” moment.

Okay I kinda wish it was a bit louder because I want to rock out to it.

And Patchy not chiming in with his “AAAH” in the end is strange after being so used to that but I wasn’t expecting that to make it in, anyway.

4. BFF - This song is so cute and catchy and I love singing along to it. It really is the quintessential Plain White T’s song. Spongebob's and Patrick's voices go really well together.

5. When The Going Gets Tough - Sooo at first I didn’t dig this song when I watched it because there’s just so much going on and at times all the voices would get jumbled. But Plankton def sounds more Plankton-like and, well, the soundtrack version is A LOT more coherent so it’s one of my favorites now.

They added an extra line to Plankton’s burn to Mr. Krabs. Mr. Krabs' “I wasn't hatched yesterday” was taken out though, which is sad because I love that line.

6. (Just A) Simple Sponge - already heard this before the rest but to me this is still one of the better produced songs since it’s pretty much exactly the same as the stage version. No complaints here.

7. Daddy Knows Best - okay so apparently this song is hit or miss with fans but I ADORE it because of Pearl’s crazy vocals and Krabs’ catchy song. And the version in the soundtrack is even better! They changed Krabs’ beginning verse. The song sounds so much better because you can actually hear all the instruments and I love how it goes from some theme park tune to a rock power ballad.

Strangely enough Pearl’s crying sounded differently on stage.

8. Hero Is My Middle Name - This song was never one of my favorites and it’s odd because I loved Kinky Boots’ soundtrack, but you don’t quite hear the same explosive flair in this song. In fact it seems a bit too calm when the trio should be hyping themselves up in it.

9. Super Sea Star Savior - Didn’t like it in the play, grew to like it in the audio rip, but this song sounds reaaaaaally fantastic in the recording. They’ve really spiced up the song with a very upbeat arrangement and I wish they could’ve done that for the previous one, too. Danny sounds less Patrick-like but, well, he has to, to hit those killer notes so I’m not complaining.

(The FIGAROOO part reminds me of Waitress now).

10. Tomorrow Is – Beautiful on stage and beautiful in the recording, too. I think this one is the most classically “Broadway-sounding” tune among all of them, which seems obvious considering it's the only one that wasn't made by a recording artist. It's pretty much their version of One Day More except a lot more somber, which isn't something you'd expect from a Spongebob Musical. But it sounds gorgeous and everyone really gets to let loose here. A+++++++ to all their vocals.

11. Poor Pirates – this is one of the songs I don't necessarily crave to listen to because even though it's a very cute and funny opener for Act II, the visual gags (and seeing Patchy's plot unfold) are necessary to truly appreciate the song. Still, it's pleasant in its own way and I love Patchy's singing especially towards the end. I (sort of) wish Sara Bareilles had gotten to write a song with a more interesting theme but she did great with what she had.

12. Bikini Bottom Boogie – So... this is my least favorite song in the musical because it feels like Aerosmith just didn't try, sadly enough. Whereas everyone else tried to make their songs relevant to the characters/plot, this is just a random bop with vague references to underwater things. The singing is good, the tune isn't great, lyrics are eh.

13. Chop To The Top – Some lyric adjustments to this one, which didn't necessarily improve the song since there wasn't anything that needed to be improved tbh. I  enjoy it and it's reaaaaally fun to jog to. I think people will appreciate if they see it live.

14. (I Guess) I Miss You – I wasn't too fond of this live since I felt like it killed some of the momentum. Aside from SB and Patrick's harmonizing and the “peas in a pod” line I didn't care for it, but the studio version sounds better and I like it a lot more here.

15. I'm Not A Loser – AND OF COURSE. I've not bothered to hide the fact that this is my UTTER FAVORITE and even without seeing it live it's just so incredibly amazing to listen to. The “HEY SQUIDWARD!!!” did not disappoint and the way the song just gets more and more ramped up is fantastic. One teensy nitpick I have is that I wish they'd included the initial stomp of the sea anemone (when they surprise Squid and scare him a bit). The added “...Okay” of Squidward is just icing on top of an already perfect cake. In the live version, he says “Okay” in When The Going Gets Tough. I guess they moved it here instead...?

I've listened to this song so many goddamn times it's not even funny. It's odd how it depresses me in the beginning then by the end of it makes me feel like I could take over the world.

16. Best Day Ever – pretty much exactly the same as in the play. It's such a beautiful, uplifting song and the Elvis part will never not make me crack up. Of all the songs to take from the show, this was truly the most appropriate one they could've chosen.

17. Finale: Bikini Bottom Day (Reprise) – Weirdly enough, this song contains the most changes compared to the original, lyric-wise. Krabs' original lyric pertaining to SB making him a ton of money is a lot more in-character but I guess they really want that feel good ending. And they changed Squid's line of complimenting SB on his dental hygiene ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) to instead him calling SB a “HERO” (my heart) which is adorable so I can't really complain.

18. Spongebob Squarepants Theme – I'll say it again: putting it at the end is perfect.

Random notes:

-Pearl and Squidward both cry in the middle of their songs

-Whereas SB laughs in his song.

-Patrick goes full on opera in his song.

-Random thought: how weird would it have been if they replaced all of Squid's tapdancing with squelching noises

-Sandy's songs all include copious amounts of sound effects.

-Had Krabs' retained his original line in the play, then he would've literally sung about money in every song he was part of.

-THEY DIDN'T INCLUDE BIKINI BOTTOM DAY (REPRISE) WITH SB AND GARY WHICH IS MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT ABOUT THE RECORDING BECAUSE I LOVE THAT VERSION

-I have listened to this album more than 20 times since I first got it